Is there anything more seasonal than candy canes on kraft dressed to look like a parcel sitting under the tree! I had great fun painting this Candy Cane Background with gouache on kraft. You could get a similar look with coloured pencils, but gouache is quicker and less tiring on achy hands! I’ve linked all supplies at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

GOUACHE ON KRAFT

I started by stamping the Candy Canes Background from Simon Says Stamp in Gina K Whisper ink – this gives an outline to work with but is light enough to give a no-line look when painted. I then painted over every candy cane with white gouache to provide a solid base of colour. I then mixed a couple of greys, one lighter than the other and flicked from the edges of each candy cane to give the impression of dimension.

I then mixed a red gouache and painted the candy cane stripes in line with the stamp. I mixed a deeper red and added a few flicks on the sides of the canes to again give the impression that the canes are rounded. Finally, I retook the white gouache and added highlights along the top of each candy cane. I kept my brush strokes loose for this card – holding the brush further back so I couldn’t be too precise. This way I got a more painterly look, and also it prevented me taking too long over the painting and getting bogged down in the details. Loose gestural strokes were the way to go.

For the greeting, I stamped a sentiment from the Clean Line Christmas set from CZ Design on Schoolhouse Red card with clear embossing ink, white heat embossed and trimmed to a tag shape. I rubbed a little Schoolhouse Red ink around the edges of the tag with a blending brush to deepen the colour. I also stamped a coordinating greeting from the set in Schoolhouse Red ink on Marshmallow card (the soft white suited the candy canes best) and trimmed to a banner.

I trimmed the candy cane background piece to 5.5″ square and wrapped with twine. Then I added foam adhesive to the back of the panel and added it to a Marshmallow card base. I also added foam adhesive to the tag and banner and added those to the card along with a twine bow. I embellished with Grace Snowflakes cut from Marshmallow card and accented with Silver Glossy Dots from Pink And Main to finish.

SUPPLIES

You can find links to the supplies I’ve used below; click on the picture or shop icon to get taken directly to the product. Where available I use compensated affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you! Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. You can read my affiliate and product disclosure here. I genuinely appreciate your support.

* SSS CANDY CANE BACKGROUND [ SSS ] * CZ Design CLEAN LINE CHRISTMAS [ SSS ] * SSS GRACE SNOWFLAKE Wafer Die [ SSS ] Winsor Newton PERMANENT WHITE GOUACHE [ SSS ] American Crafts Paper Fashion SET 2… [ SSS ] SSS Clear Embossing Ink [ SSS ] * SSS SCHOOLHOUSE RED Dye Ink [ SSS ] Gina K Designs WHISPER AMALGAM Ink Pad [ SSS ] SSS White Embossing Powder [ SSS ] Pink and Main SILVER Glossy Dots [ SSS ] Neenah DESERT STORM 100 lb Card [ SSS ] * SSS SCHOOLHOUSE RED Card [ SSS ] Bazzill MARSHMALLOW Card [ SSS ] Hemptique THICK NATURAL Hemp Twine [ SSS ] * Picket Fence Studios LIFE CHANGING… [ SSS ] MINI MISTI [ SSS ] MISTI MINI MOUSE PAD INSERT [ SSS ] MAGNETIC BLOCK FOR MISTI [ SSS ] 3M DOUBLE-SIDED FOAM TAPE [ SSS ] SSS SMALL TEFLON BONE FOLDER [ SSS ] Gina K Designs CONNECT GLUE [ SSS ] Tim Holtz Tonic GLASS MEDIA MAT [ SSS ] Tim Holtz Tonic GUILLOTINE [ SSS ] Scor-Pal Mini Scoring Board [ SSS ] EK Success CUTTER BEE Scissors [ SSS ] TWEEZERS [ SSS ] T SQUARE RULER [ SSS ] Precision Heat Embossing Tool Gun [ SSS ] Ranger ANTI STATIC POUCH [ SSS ] SSS Embossing Powder Storage [ SSS ] Crafter’s Companion GEMINI JUNIOR… [ SSS ]

PIN ME

Summary of the project which gives all the views of the card in one photo :D I’d love if you pinned and called by on Pinterest :D